Jon Brookes, drummer with the British band the Charlatans, died Tuesday morning, according to a statement on the group's website, which said Brookes had been receiving treatment for a brain tumor since 2010. He was 44. "Jon was a brilliant drummer, an inspiration, a founding member of the Charlatans, part of our family and a friend to everyone in and around the band," the statement reads. "Losing someone who was always so full of life is a tragedy that will be shared by so many.

Kristen Wiig and beau Fabrizio Moretti have reportedly called it quits. The "Saturday Night Live" alum and Moretti, the drummer for the Strokes, have ended their 18-month relationship, according to Us Weekly and People . "It was very amicable and they will remain friends," a source told Us. PHOTOS: Celebrity splits of 2013 Wiig, 39, and Moretti, 33, were first spotted together in December 2011. The "Bridesmaids" writer and star wasn't super open about her relationship, but she did divulge a few details in Marie Claire's August 2012 issue , crediting her beau with helping her reach a happy place.

Drummer Allison Miller's album "Boom Tic Boom" with her band of the same name was one of the most memorable debuts of 2010, and marked her as a rising star. It was a bold album marked by a deftly swinging drive, rich ensemble playing and a wealth of styles that included flashes of post-bop, rock and folk. But as of February, Miller also attracted notice outside the jazz world with her Huffington Post essay titled " You Don't Play Like a Girl: Queer in the Jazz World . " In the piece Miller wrote about her personal history confronting sexism and her identity as she came up as not only a female drummer, a rarity in jazz, - but also a lesbian.

Alan Myers 'Human metronome' for punk band Devo Alan Myers, 58, whose drumming for the punk band Devo came to define its off-kilter sound, died Monday in Los Angeles, said Devo spokesman Michael Pilmer. Myers had brain cancer. He was the band's drummer from 1976 to 1986 during the heyday of Devo, which peaked commercially in 1980 with the smash hit "Whip It. " The band's name referred to de-volution, the idea that instead of evolving, humankind was actually in decline.

June 26, 2013 | By Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times Pop Music Critic

Chances are in coming days when you're reading about percussionist Alan Myers, who died Monday after a battle with brain cancer, the words "human metronome" will be used. Myers' drumming for punk band Devo came to define the band's off-kilter sound. Musician Ralph Carney, who was friends with Myers, announced the death of the Devo drummer on his Facebook page: " Alan Myers passed yesterday from cancer. he was Devo's best drummer and one of the first people to teach me about jazz.

June 6, 2013 | By Joseph Serna, This post has been corrected. See note below for details.

Jefferson Airplane drummer Joey Covington was killed in a single-car crash in Palm Springs on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Covington, 67, a Palm Springs resident, was driving alone when his coupe left the road at a curve in South Belardo Road and crashed head-on into a retaining wall. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the Riverside County coroner. The Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs reported that a guest at a nearby motel tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Covington.

Ed Shaughnessy, whose mutton-chop whiskers and swinging rhythms made him one of the most famous drummers in jazz during his nearly three decades with Doc Severinsen's "Tonight Show" band, has died. He was 84. Shaughnessy had a heart attack Friday at his Calabasas home, said William Selditz, a close family friend. While his nightly gig on "The Tonight Show" brought him the kind of drumming fame previously bestowed on giants such as Gene Krupa, Shaughnessy also delved into more far-reaching musical realms.

The soldier who was hacked to death on a London street was remembered Thursday as a popular ceremonial drummer and machine-gunner, loving father and lifelong fan of the Manchester United soccer club. Lee Rigby, 25, served with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, the British Defense Ministry said. He was born in the Manchester suburb of Crumpsall and had a 2-year-old son, Jack. Rigby joined the army in 2006 and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus, according to his commanders.

Los Angeles can be tough on newcomers, particularly among musicians. A key figure in the fertile Chicago jazz scene and member of the groundbreaking indie band Tortoise, guitarist Jeff Parker is midway through a relocation to L.A. that has found him straddling two cities during the last few months. Though Parker never wanted for gigs in a city that found him collaborating with musicians who included the late saxophonist Fred Anderson, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz and flutist Nicole Mitchell, Los Angeles has proved to be a bit of a challenge so far. "There's so many great musicians out here, man....

Though it's been 27 years since the Police disbanded, Stewart Copeland, its American drummer, remains best known for his nine years with the seminal British rock band. But that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy beyond the Police's 2007 reunion tour. From the mid-1980s through the mid-2000s, Copeland was a prolific composer of movie and TV scores. More recently, he's been writing operas and ballets. On May 11, his fourth and latest opera, "The Tell-Tale Heart," based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name, receives its American premiere at Long Beach Opera, on a bill with another one-act opera.